Metro police: Root out the cancer

IN MID-OCTOBER, Savannah City Manager Stephanie Cutter said key documents were missing from investigative files within the Internal Affairs unit at metro police.

On Thursday, it was disclosed that the former commander of that unit retired Nov. 1.

You don't need to be a super-sleuth to connect the dots.

Ms. Cutter has a serious problem on her hands. At the center are allegations of misconduct by officers and a subsequent cover-up by the department's command staff. The city manager must root out the cancer, take appropriate action and then find proper leadership to get the department back on track.

This is a huge, important job. At stake is the department's integrity in the public's eyes - as well as Ms. Cutter's credibility as city manager.

This week, it was reported that Capt. Henry "Hank" Wiley III, a veteran of 37 years on the Chatham County and Savannah-Chatham police departments, left effective Nov. 1. He was in charge of the department's internal affairs unit when documents related to the investigation of Sgt. Malik Khaalis and Star Cpl. Willie Williams vanished.

It has not been publicly disclosed what happened to those files. But now-retired Metro Chief Willie Lovett put Wiley in charge of Internal Affairs after he learned that Khaalis and Williams were implicated in a separate federal narcotics corruption probe. Both officers have been barred from testifying in state and federal courts. Both, however, still receive city paychecks and are on administrative leave.

By retiring, Wiley saves his city benefits. What's unclear is what, if anything, he told MDB International - private investigators out of Alexandria, Va., that the city manager hired to comb through the muck - about how critical paperwork walked out of the office on his watch.

This company started its investigation Oct. 14. City officials said it's still ongoing. It must be thorough and pull no punches.

Neither should Ms. Cutter.

She said last month that once the investigation is complete, the findings will be forwarded to her, and then she will discuss them with Interim Chief Julie Tolbert. But Ms. Cutter must recall that the interim chief was part of the same command staff, under former Chief Lovett, that's now under the microscope.

That raises a fundamental question: How can the city manager be sure that all the information she will be receiving is untainted and unfiltered?

For that reason, she needs other eyes and ears. She must discuss the findings of the city's investigation with District Attorney Meg Heap and U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver. She must leave no stones unturned or unexamined.

The public insists on a police department that's professionally run. It demands the same out of city government and Ms. Cutter, who's paid $195,000 annually and must make personnel decisions based on performance, not politics.

When documents related to a corruption investigation disappear from police headquarters, it's a symptom of serious rot. It's the city manager's responsibility to stomp it out and start the rebuilding.